


coffee and cream

by byeolbit



Series: one for the glory days [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Teenage Awkwardness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25402351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byeolbit/pseuds/byeolbit
Summary: Minah doesn't know why Taekwoon shows up to her games when he doesn't know anyone on the team. Or rather, she knows why but finds it quite incredulous.
Relationships: Jung Taekwoon | Leo/Original Female Character(s), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: one for the glory days [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839817
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	coffee and cream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [biasedwriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/biasedwriting/gifts).



> Written with Sik-K's [Darling](https://open.spotify.com/track/3cmZtFjPjx4zM4nsfSZZEh?si=xvZWOCDlR-uz4D1cV2qZsQ) playing on repeat

  
  
  


“Taekwoon is here again” Miya points out as she laces up her shoes tighter. 

Minah doesn’t dignify her statement with a response as she ties up her long braided hair into a bun because she knows what will come next.

“I think he likes you” Miya whispers conspiratorially. She wiggles her eyebrows and Minah shoots her a deadpan look.

“I don’t know what gave you the impression,” Minah says, pushing the freshman kid physically onto the field so she can focus on the game and not the audience. Although it’s not hard to wonder why the captain of the basketball team is at the football match in a rival school. As far as Minah knows, Taekwoon is not friends with anyone on the team. But the boy in question is here with his best friend Jaehwan and watching the game.

Minah wonders if the measly support they do have is of any use because the girls are huddled up and giggling about their audience today instead of brainstorming strategy.

“Get your head in the game girls” Ara calls out when she notices Minah scowling. She offers her an understanding look before jostling everyone into a huddle to get them to focus. Their team is one goal behind their rivals and at a risk of losing if they don’t get their act together.

Minah makes the mistake of looking at the audience and Jaehwan catches her eye to cheer her on. She watches as Taekwoon tries to hide his face out of embarrassment and almost chuckles if not for the indignation over the entire affair. She feels his eyes on her as she joins the huddle and they cheer before breaking off and returning to the field for the second half. She shakes it off because she has a game that she wants to win and that requires her entire focus. Not silly boys who are in random places for reasons she can’t fathom.

Their coach cheers loudly when they score a goal and tie with the other team. There is fifteen minutes still on hand. If Heeyeon can push through the defense line on the other side, she can easily score with Miya’s help. Minah focuses on going on the offensive. They have thirteen minutes and nothing to lose if they don’t score. Her team is good at penalty shoot outs if it comes down to that.

The regular time ends in a draw but Heeyeon and Miya pull through in the over time and score, leading their team to victory. Minah gets thrown into the air as a long running victory tradition of the team and lands on her butt and is surrounded by a rush of girls apologising and pulling her to her feet and a frantic coach yelling about injuries mid season when they should all be in top form.

“I hope you’re not actually injured,” Taekwoon says and Minah is surprised to see him here by the benches instead of by the bleachers. Jaehwan is off talking to Ara and Minah is surprised because she didn’t know they were on talking terms. There is clearly a lot she needs to catch up on with her best friend and team assistant.

“Nothing that I’m not used to” Minah shrugs. Injuries and roughhousing are a part and parcel of being an athlete. Taekwoon sports his own knee brace and is no stranger to this knowledge.

“And here I thought only the boys team got this rough,” Taekwoon says, sitting down next to her. He hands her a water bottle and she accepts it with as much grace as skepticism affords. Why is he here again and why is he offering her a water bottle?

Miya’s words echo through her mind but she brushes them off. The rough landing has affected her brain more than it has affected her body clearly if her mind is willing to entertain such ridiculous thoughts.

“I need to go,” Minah says, standing up when Ara calls everyone to round them up for the bus trip back to school.

“Right,” Taekwoon says, standing up as well. He pushes his hands into this pocket and awkwardly shuffles his weight from one leg to another as Minah gathers her things. 

“That was a good game. You… play good” he calls as Minah walks away and she freezes. A nod is all she can manage as her cheeks flush warm on the words. He likes how she plays. That’s… something, she supposes as her brain goes haywire trying to figure out what in the ever loving fuck she must do with this knowledge.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him hit his head and sigh in embarrassment that mirrors her own and feels marginally better. She boards the bus and tries to avoid how Miya and Ara both shoot her knowing looks.

-

“I don’t know why cheerleaders can’t attend away games” Qiuyue huffs as she leans over the sink and fixes her lipstick. The maroon shade suits her lace blouse and Minah thinks that it's incredibly high maintenance for a normal school day compared to her own sweater and jeans combo.

“It’s common sense that you would need cheering the most at an away game. You already have a large audience that supports you when you play at school” she adds, frowning at Minah.

“You can apparently attend away games so I don’t know what is stopping you from just accidentally showing up in your cheering uniform with pompoms to boot” Minah throws a suggestion out to the wind.

“I’d need someone to drive me there” Qiuyue huffs. Knowing Qiuyue, the cheerleader is not going to give up till she convinces the coach and Minah thinks she can pull it off if she begs enough. Or if she shows up with the sweet apple tarts from the local cafe that their coach likes so much.

“Speaking of people attending games, I heard from Hyojin who heard from Ara that Taekwoon showed up at your game again,” Qiuyue says, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“He did and before you ask me, no I don’t know why” Minah replies with a roll of her eyes. Jung Taekwoon is popular and hot news wherever he goes but Minah doesn’t fancy ending up on the gossip network that the entire sophomore year runs on.

“That’s easy, silly. He likes you and so he comes to watch your games” Qiuyue reasons as if it is the most perfectly normal thing in the world. And maybe it is for boys who like girls but Taekwoon doesn’t like Minah because that is not the sane course of action for anyone involved.

“Yes well not everyone is as obvious as Hongbin when it comes to wooing you” Minah retorts and Qiuyue chokes on the water she is drinking. 

“Hongbin is not ‘wooing’ me. He shows up to the games because he likes sports. He even tried out for Taekwoon’s team, remember? And by that logic, you are admitting to Taekwoon showing up to your games to woo you” she points out.

“No one is wooing anyone in my case” Minah retorts with a half snort.

“Well no one is wooing me either and I think we’ve said wooing too many times because the syllables sound weird now” Qiuyue says, repeating the word to herself with a grimace that makes it look like it left a sour taste in her mouth. Minah thinks it is more denial than sourness but doesn’t push the other girl further.

“We have a free period next. Do you think I can copy your math homework before submission time?” Minah asks, changing topics.

“You’re still not done?!” Qiuyue exclaims in shock. “That assignment is the longest we’ve had!! You better be good at power writing or just be plain simple fast.”

Qiuyue pulls Minah out of the bathroom and off to the library and Minah thanks her lucky stars that Qiuyue has never stopped Minah from copying her homework. 

-

Minah thinks that the only thing that makes school on Saturdays bearable is the fact that they can arrive an hour later and leave two hours earlier. It gives her time to avoid the weekday rush and pick up coffee and that does wonders for her morning mood.

She finds Miya and Jungkook sitting at the stairs and listening to music on a shared ipod. The two of them are lost to the world and very likely to miss the first bell in ten minutes but she doesn't want to be the one to disturb the bubble they are in.

She finds Taekwoon by her locker and is surprised. He's waiting for Kyungsoo to pick up his books. Kyungsoo who has a locker right next to hers (a fact that greatly helps Ara when she wishes to stop by and drop letters to the one she admires while drawing no attention to herself).

"I didn't know you liked coffee," Taekwoon says, looking at the cup in her hands. It's long cold and empty but has the drawing of a teddy bear face that the barista who works on Saturday mornings likes to draw for everyone.

"Isn't caffeine the lifeblood of every rational human?" Minah asks and Taekwoon laughs a bit. It's a pleasant laugh that sounds like wind chimes on a windy summer day and is infinitely more pleasant than the warning bell that rings a moment later.

Minah grabs her textbooks and slams the locker shut because the lock is faulty and does not actually lock without the use of force. Taekwoon helps by re-slamming the door when it swings open and jamming it in place. Minah gives him an awkward smile because the locker is embarrassing her now and hopes he hasn't seen the insides which she meant to clean up lastonth but never got around to.

"There's this really nice cafe near the public library" Taekwoon starts before Kyungsoo yells and exclaims he will be late and interrupts their non existent conversation. Taekwoon sighs and yells at him to go along first and turns to Minah who is already balancing the coffee cup on top of the books she needs to carry.

"I can help you with that," Taekwoon offers, gesturing to the growing pile of books and notebooks in her hands.

"I'll be fine" Minah waved him off. He watches her with concern as she walks to her classroom and narrowly avoids bumping into Sanghyuk and Wonshik by the door.

"I see why you insisted on accompanying me" Kyungsoo comments with a smirk.

"Shut up" Taekwoon replies eloquently before turning around and walking to his own classroom, leaving Kyungsoo to carry the huge pile of assignments on his own. He deserves it for the interruption.

-

"How did you know that you liked Kyungsoo?" Minah asks Ara as she paints her nails. Light purple is a lovely colour on her and Minah has half a mind to borrow it for herself.

"I just woke up with a deep bottomless pit in my stomach and a feeling of dread and knew" Ara replies. It matches how Minah feels every time she sees Taekwoon in the hallways so it must be right. It still unnerves her. 

"But how do you know it isn't just a stupid crush that will go away?" Minah asks. Taekwoon is the first boy to show interest in her in a very long time. The first boy ever actually.

"That's the beauty of it. You don't. You could wake up the next day and not like the same person you were obsessing over the day before. You take every day as it comes" Ara explains.

"You've liked Kyungsoo for a while," Minah remarks. Ever since freshman year if her deduction skills have any merit.

"What does it mean if you like someone for a very long time? Even if it is just a simple crush or just being interested in them?"

"You should ask Qiuyue that. She's liked one person for the longest time I've ever known. Even if she says she doesn't" Ara replies.

"Qiuyue thinks Taekwoon likes me" Minah confesses, coming to the topic that's actually on her mind.

"Do you think so? Do you like him too?" Ara asks in return.

"He talked about this really nice cafe he knew and I… kind of liked the thought of spending time with him," Minah admits.

"Was he trying to ask you out on a date?" Ara gasps.

"Stupid, I know. And he never really asked because Kyungsoo interrupted us but I thought he would" Minah says, flopping onto Ara's lap with a sigh.

"On the contrary, I thought he would ask you to come see one of his games before asking you out on a cliche cafe date. And rest assured that no one will find Kyungsoo's body after this grave crime" Ara tells her, frowning heavily at the offense.

"I guess it's because he saw me with my Saturday morning coffee" Minah says as Ara fixes her hair and applies some lipstick on her. It's a shade of brown that's lighter than she usually wears but it doesn't look half bad.

"He has the right spirit, I'll give him that" Ara says, checking her work. She adds eyeliner and glitter blush and Minah lets her experiment because she's lost in thought.

-

  
  


"You look super cute!" Qiuyue exclaims when she sees Minah. It's a Saturday evening and she would rather be sleeping at home but Ara insists that Minah accompany her and Miya to the basketball game so they can support Qiuyue who's cheering for the home team.

"Besides, it's only fair that you go to one of Taekwoon's games since he attends yours," Miya says as she pushes Minah to wear a skirt instead of jeans. It's a decision she regrets because it makes her legs freeze. At least she looks cute, she thinks.

"We'll go grab some seats and you can get snacks?" Ara asks.

"Please get candy that I can steal" Qiuyue adds on, strapping her pom poms on her wrist bands so that they don't fall off during the routine. She takes off before Minah can respond and Minah sighs, knowing her motherly instinct will make her feed Qiuyue anyways.

She grabs popcorn and a bar of rice crispies and chocolates that Qiuyue likes and treks over to the bench before heading over to the seats Ara found. She finds Hongbin kneeling down and helping Qiuyue with her shoelaces and the girl in question coloured the deepest shade of red she has ever seen her.

Minah approaches her with a smirk and Qiuyue shoots her a warning look before thanking Hongbin and practically running from him to Minah. "Careful or you'll fall and then Prince Charming will have to carry you" Minah teases and Qiuyue punches her shoulder.

"Don't worry I've got her" Hongbin says, slinging an arm around her waist and Qiuyue starts.

"Lover boy, you can flirt after the game" Taekwoon yells and the entire cheerleading team breaks into giggles at the expense of the two. Qiuyue scoffs and leaves to hide behind any kind samaritan since her own friends are of no help.

"I was going to give this to her but maybe you can for me" Minah says, handing over the chocolate to Hongbin who takes the excuse to follow Qiuyue.

"You're ruining my teammate" Taekwoon complains when he walks over to greet her.

"I'm helping the cause of love" Minah replies with a bright smile.

"Cupid is grateful I'm sure" Taekwoon says sourly with a frown. Minah laughs and watches the cheerleading team get into formation and Hongbin wistfully push the chocolate into his pocket and save it for later.

"I think that's your cue" Minah points out.

"Will you stay till the end?" Taekwoon asks before leaving.

"Hard to say. I was supposed to be Qiuyue's ride home but I don't think she'll be leaving with me and I am sure you guys would be busy celebrating the end of the season" Minah reminds him.

"I'm still glad you came" Taekwoon says.

"Me too" Minah agrees even though it hasn't even been thirty minutes since she arrived.

-

  
  


"Taekwoon asked me for your number" Qiuyue texts Minah after the game. "I guessed you both looked friendly enough so I thought it was okay to give it to him."

"He hasn't texted me so I guess he didn't really need it for anything" Minah responds because what else can she say.

She wishes she hadn't told her because now she checks her phone every five minutes. Much to her disappointment, her volume is up and she just has no notifications.

Her phone chimes two hours later with a simple text saying " _ hey, did you get home safe after the game _ ?" and she almost screams in the middle of putting a facemask on.

" _ I was not the one at a wild party after the game _ " she replies.

" _ Touché _ "

-

" _ Mango ice cream or strawberry?" _

" _ Mango _ "

" _ You have terrible taste _ "

" _ Says the man who chose milk chocolate over dark _ "

" _ I am offended _ "

" _ Guess what I felt when you chose lattés over black coffee _ "

" _ Not everyone has an edgy bitter dark soul _ "

" _ No, some people have souls full of cream from the designer coffee they consume _ "

" _ Ha ha ha _ "

-

  
  


In hindsight letting Qiuyue dress her up for her date is a very bad idea because Minah finds herself in a floral dress ("It has pockets!") and a white jacket that Minah is worried will stain very easily. Qiuyue does let her wear her flat sandals in place of heels and agrees that they will be easy to run in if she gets cold feet and Minah gives her extra friendship points for that.

"You look… really pretty" Taekwoon says when he comes over to pick her up. Minah meets him downstairs on the street instead of the apartment so that her sister won't see that she's going on a date and hopes Taekwoon doesn't mind.

"Thanks. I don't usually dress this fancy" Minah says because she has a habit of putting her foot in her mouth.

"I think it looks nice on you" Taekwoon says, blushing because he feels honoured and happy that she put in the effort for him. He might even giggle into his phone if he wasn't serious about impressing her on their first date.

"We should get going. We'll be late for the movie" he tells her. They're going to watch the new indie romance movie. Though if Minah is honest, she's just going to watch Taekwoon who looks stunning in plaid shirt and jeans. He is wearing the long earring he considers lucky and it's Minah's turn to blush now. He doesn't need luck for a date with her. She already knows they will get along well from all the late night conversations they've had till now.

Movie is followed by a late lunch in a McDonald's that both of them feel overdressed for. The lunch also coincides with a child's birthday party and they forsake conversation because talking over sugar induced screaming is a futile exercise. 

They do end up talking about whether it is possible to kidnap the baby toy poodle that is left unattended for a minute by its owner. Minah thinks Taekwoon just might follow through with the plan if the owner doesn't return soon. She laughs when the owner does return and Taekwoon's face falls.

It's a pleasant afternoon so the two of them end up in the cafe by the public library. The small cafe is covered in wall decals of cat figures and there are cartoon stickers on their cups and Minah laughs at how childish but pleasing all of it is. It's not a side of Taekwoon that she expected but is happy to get to know.

The conversation flows smoothly despite Minah rolling her eyes at the amount of cream in Taekwoon's coffee and his wariness over the strength of her coffee.

"Sleep is for the weak" Minah whispers and he sighs.

"Never considered you weak" Taekwoon replies but occasionally looks at her coffee like it would sprout two extra heads at any moment.

"Just pretty" she teases, mixing the sugar in.

"Beautiful" he corrects her and smile triumphantly when she blushes. He's smooth and she marks him down as a player and bad for her health in her book. Her heart is not going to survive if it is going to flip-flop at this inhuman rate every time Taekwoon compliments her.

She still doesn't know why he's here in a cafe with her, looking at cat stickers and drinking bad coffee and fighting over ice cream flavours but she quite likes it. Even if he's going to be clearly bad for her.

-

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/starryfics1?s=09) | [Tumblr](https://vixxscifiwritings.tumblr.com) | [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/poojamk15)


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